How safe is it to drive today in America? In recent years, studies on road safety and distracted driving revealed the following statistics:
Although laws help enforce safe driving practices, each state has different penalties and regulations on texting, calling, and mobile phone usage in general while driving. The Governors Highway Safety Association is the official portal where state laws on distracted driving can be found.
However, punitive methods don’t improve road safety as offenders are rarely caught and those that are simply pay the fines, usually without changing their driving behavior. Authorities impose stricter rules, but the results reveal that distracted driving is only getting worse.
This App Saves Lives (TASL) aims to change the grim numbers on distracted driving by incentivizing drivers to change their behavior to avoid using their phones while on the road.
The mission to make roads safer for pedestrians and drivers began when Ryan Frankel, Founder of This App Saves Lives, was injured and nearly killed when a distracted driver ran a red light while texting.
Ryan was riding his bike through the busy streets of New York City when a distracted driver blazed through the red light. Luckily, Ryan was able to maneuver quickly, avoiding a direct collision, however he flipped over his handlebars, smashed into the pavement and fractured his hip and elbow.
While recovering from his injuries, Ryan looked deeper into the growing public issue and how offenders are dealt with. He discovered how authorities manage the problem of phone-based distracted driving through a very reactive approach, and thought of more effective and proactive ways to help Americans drive safely.
Ten people die every day due to distracted driving. This shows that the current methods are ineffective and raises the need for a better solution that tackles the problem from a different perspective.
TASL’s mission is to encourage safe driving practices and prevent distracted driving. Rather than punishing you for holding your phone behind the wheel, the app takes a more proactive approach and rewards you for keeping your hands and eyes off your phone. You are recognized and rewarded for driving safely, and phone use is only allowed for navigation, music and hands-free calls.
With the use of this groundbreaking app, it’s possible to make the millions of accidents, injuries and even deaths caused by distracted driving a thing of the past.
You earn TASL Safe Driving Points corresponding to the time spent driving without using your phone. Listening to music, making or receiving hands-free calls or using your navigation is absolutely fine but responding to messages and opening other distracting applications is deemed a distraction.
For every minute driven undistracted, a TASL point is earned. However, actions such as browsing, texting, watching videos, e-mailing, or anything that takes the eyes off the road results in deductions. The points you earned through good behavior can still be deducted if you do engage with your phone, so make sure to keep your eyes on the road!
There is no need to set-up the app before hitting the road, as that only defeats the purpose of discouraging phone use while behind the wheel. TASL was smartly designed to automatically load in the background once it detects that you are driving.
TASL points can be exchanged for exciting rewards and giveaways from partner merchants ranging from apparel, food and beverage, hotels and travel, fitness, and other national retailers. Rewards come in the form of discounts, giveaways, contest entries and other unique promotions exclusive for TASL members. For example, how does a free milkshake from Shake Shack sound? Sounds delightful when all you have to do is simply drive undistracted!
More than just the rewards, TASL gamifies the entire experience to make it more enjoyable. There are driver rankings and leaderboards that will get you pumped up to collect more points and earn badges. You can even use the app to compete with friends, and see who can get more rewards. Now, sipping on free milkshakes with your friends sounds even better!
TASL encourages schools and student organizations to join the mission in instilling better road behavior in this at-risk demographic. Studies show that younger drivers represent an alarmingly high percentage of distracted driving-related accidents and fatalities. With the help of TASL, tech-savvy teens are given a platform that they can enjoy and at the same time, learn the importance of avoiding phone use while on the road.
A large part of app users are students, which is great news for TASL’s mission. Teen drivers are the worst offenders of distracted driving and are more prone to accidents than older and more experienced drivers. Through the TASL app, bad driving habits are discouraged and corrected at an early age.
So far, more than 70 schools have partnered with TASL to educate teens on how to drive safely and build good road habits. That is equivalent to around 50,000 students reached and the number is still growing.
Employers are also invited to sponsor challenges that will rally their employees to partake in making the roads safer for everyone through the TASL app. Organizations with car fleets can lower their expenses on insurance if they have employees who are epitomes of safe driving.
This App Saves Lives makes it easy for anyone, especially at-risk groups, to stay focused on the road. It is designed in such a way that will make you feel like you are simply playing a game. The less time you spend looking at your phone while driving, the more points earned. More points means more rewards and prizes!
By acknowledging and rewarding safe driving behavior, TASL positively reinforces safe driving habits as part of its mission to make the roads much safer. But, at the end of the day, the greatest reward for driving undistracted is saving lives– yours and those of whom that are in your community.
Be a part of the TASL mission today. Download the free app from the App Store.